


Hidden in the leaves

by Nillegible



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Senju Plant Nursery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23049460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nillegible/pseuds/Nillegible
Summary: “Hello, can I help you?” asks Tobirama, setting down his tablet when he hears the wind chimes tinkle. Hashirama had set them up above the door in place of a doorbell. Only then does he catch sight of the two customers who have entered the store; a handsome young man, maybe a little older than Tobirama with a wealth of dark hair, and a tiny boy with equally messy hair, maybe six years years old.“That’s not what you’re supposed to say,” says the kid looking up at him with large dark eyes, and a pinched expression on his face.
Relationships: Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara
Comments: 42
Kudos: 571
Collections: MadaTobi Gift Exchange 2020, why im sleep deprived 💖✨





	Hidden in the leaves

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WithYourRhythm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WithYourRhythm/gifts).



> Gift Fic for WithYourRhythm, for the MadaTobi Gift Exchange 2020!
> 
> I'm posting on Ao3 late, but it's been up on Tumblr for a while. I hope you guys enjoy!

“Hello, can I help you?” asks Tobirama, setting down his tablet when he hears the wind chimes tinkle. Hashirama had set them up above the door in place of a doorbell. Only then does he catch sight of the two customers who have entered the store; a handsome young man, maybe a little older than Tobirama with a wealth of dark hair, and a tiny boy with equally messy hair, maybe six years years old.

“That’s not what you’re supposed to say,” says the kid looking up at him with large dark eyes, and a pinched expression on his face.

“I’m sorry?” asks Tobirama, glancing at the other man who looks a little embarrassed.

“ _Kagami_ , that’s impolite Mr.-” the customer’s quick glance at Tobirama’s nametag doesn’t really help since it’s an artsy embroidered thing without his last name on it, but he perseveres - “Tobirama can welcome us however he likes. I’m very sorry, I’m Uchiha Madara, we visited last week, and the person working had a different greeting.”

“Senju Tobirama, you must have met one of the others,” says Tobirama, realizing now what the kid was talking about. There’s no _way_ Tobirama is going to repeat the same cutesy spiel, ‘Hello, welcome to The Senju Plant Nursery and Interior Landscaping Solutions, which of our lovely plants would you like to adopt today?’ that Harshirama asked his employees to use on every unsuspecting customer to cross into their shop. The kid is still staring at him like Tobirama has done something unacceptable though, so Tobirama tries, “So you would like to…adopt a plant?”

The kid instantly grins widely, “YES! Uncle said I could, I asked all week and I read _two_ books about plants from the library, and I get to build a terrarium, and I can choose what to put inside it!” he says, without stopping for breath.

Tobirama can’t help it, his lips twitch into a smile at the genuine enthusiasm. “That sounds wonderful! Are you only looking for the plants to go in, or are you looking for a tank, lighting, gravel, and moss as well?” he directs the question to Kagami, seeing how excited he is, but the kid looks up at his uncle.

“Uncle?”

“Do you have all of those things?” asks Madara. “If so that would definitely save us a few more stops.”

“We do,” says Tobirama, coming out from behind the counter. The shop’s layout was odd, most likely because it had been a row of smaller stores once, before his brother had bought the whole lot and knocked down only some of the walls. It meant that from the entrance the store looked far smaller than it really was. “Come this way,” he says, leading them out of the first section (indoor plants that were fine with dim lighting, through the outdoor plants and pots section that opened into the actual outdoors behind the store where the hardier half of their inventory was, and into the third part of the store that had the components for setting up terrariums or aquariums. Starting with a correctly sized tank made the most sense, after all.

“Oh there are _fish!”_ says Kagami, once there. They don’t stock quite as many fish as an aquarium or pet shop would, but they have enough small ponds and pond-plants that they prefer to have some small goldfish, koi, and other pond fish in stock. “Can I get a fish for my terrarium? Please?”

“Do fish _belong_ in terrariums?” asks Madara.

“We could make a tiny little pond inside, and then we can get lots of tiny little fish to go in the pond!”

“That would be far too little water, you’d need _at least_ twenty gallons of water for most fish to be comfortable, and they’d be happier with more. You’d need a full aquarium, not part of a terrarium,” says Tobirama, hoping the kid isn’t going to be throwing a tantrum over this.

However, Kagami just clutches his uncle’s leg and looks up at Tobirama, “They _really_ won’t fit? Even the small ones?” he asks eyes wide.

“We all fit inside closets, but we wouldn’t like to _live_ there, right?” asks Tobirama. Madara’s lips definitely quirk at that, and Tobirama can’t glare at him (or rephrase his statement to be less embarrassing) because large dark eyes are regarding him very carefully.

“No, that would be bad,” the kid decides sadly, then gives the goldfish another longing look.

Madara pats him on the head, “Come on, I see the tanks. We’re here to adopt a _plant,_ remember? Don’t get distracted,” and he gently guides his nephew toward the display of glass tanks and bowls. Tobirama hovers in the background, listening as Madara carefully talks Kagami down from a rectangular twenty-gallon tank to an eight-gallon bowl, by pointing out that they could keep it on that table near the window, wouldn’t that be nice?

Some faint tinkling alerts Tobirama to another visitor, and he tells the Uchiha that he’ll be back momentarily, and hurries back to the front. He hopes Yamato would return soon, it’s always a bit worrying when he’s left all alone. This customer is far easier to help, she’s looking for a tabletop cactus arrangement, and she picks up one of the smaller ones without much time to deliberate. He packages it up for her, provides a gift bag, processes her purchase, and heads back to his previous customers.

They’ve wandered on to the selection of gravel and marbles now, and Kagami seems insistent that they get an eye-searingly orange gravel. Between the soil and the activated charcoal layers, they’re going to end up with something a little too Halloween-seeming for August, but clearly this isn’t a battle that Madara is going to win.

“It _has_ to be orange,” Kagami says again, after Madara points out that the plants will be green, and their living room is blue. “It just _has_ to.” But he won’t answer when Madara asks why. Giving it up as lost, Madara takes the orange gravel, and Tobirama hands him a basket that already has a package of activated charcoal in it for him to put the gravel into.

“Do you need potting soil as well or do you have that?” asks Tobirama.

“No, we definitely have soil. You mentioned moss?”

“It’s there,” says Tobirama gesturing, so that Madara can pick out one that he finds appropriately colored and priced. “You’ll want enough for a layer between the soil and gravel.”

Madara seems to take two at random, and then turns to Kagami. “Ready to find your plants?”

“Would you like some other decorations, first?” asks Tobirama, pointing out the shelf with different odds and ends, from miniature wells and animals, to packets of miniature paving stones or park benches. Kagami bounces over at once, and Tobirama ignores the guilty twinge at taking advantage of a child to buy more from his shop. They’re running a business here, after all.

“This one!” says Kagami, picking up a medium sized orange stone, with a spiral design on it. Madara lets him add it to the purchases in their basket without complaint.

Helping them select plants doesn’t take nearly as long as Tobirama expected, apparently the child had been entirely serious when he said that he had researched what plants he wanted to get. Kagami earnestly lists out the names of the succulents that he wants – making him a far more serious customer than most adults who just browse and choose whatever they think looks pretty. Tobirama manages to find four of the five plants that they want, but doesn’t have the last one in stock.

“I’m really sorry, we don’t have any more on hand. Do you want to pick something else? I can tell you which plants need the same amount of water as these ones.”

To his horror, Kagami’s face scrunches up at that. “But we _need_ that one.”

“I’m really sorry, you could either pick it up later this week – I’ll order one for you – or I could tell you where the other plant shops are around here so you can check if they have some, but I can’t confirm that they will.

“Kagami, you can pick out a different plant,” says Madara, and the child bursts into tears. Madara, looking distressed, sets down his basket and lifts Kagami into his arms, trying to calm him by patting his back and making soothing noises while Kagami sobs into his shoulder.

“But Uncle, it has to be that one, we need it,” he says.

“Shh, please tell me why, my heart. We’ll find you one if we can, but if you tell me why, I can help you find something else too, right?”

“Because Obito-nii _wanted that one_ ,” says the kid, and Tobirama thinks he sees grief flash across Madara’s face.

“Kagami. When did he–?”

“He said it was pretty when I showed him the book, and he _liked_ it, he _said_ so,” he says, and Madara shuts his eyes for a long moment, before he continues to soothe the child.

“We’ll get some, we’ll ask Mr. Senju to order one for us, and we’ll leave space for it in our terrarium, and we’ll add it when they get here, is that alright?”

It takes some time for Kagami to calm, but the promise seems to help. He finally agrees with a soft, “Okay.”

Tobirama is about to get the box of tissues he keeps behind his desk, but Madara’s pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his nephew’s face. Kagami doesn’t let go of him though, and Madara doesn’t seem about o let him down. He shifts his Nephew, then picks up the basket to place on the counter. Tobirama processes the purchases silently, not wanting to further stress Madara out. It’s like the happy pair that had walked into his store had completely vanished; Kagami doesn’t emerge from where he’s hiding his face in Madara’s neck and Madara’s handsome features have gone cold and tired.

He’s not really sure what’s up, but he kind of wishes he could help.

Wait, he can help. “If you leave me an address, I could have one delivered in a few hours,” he says, before he can think it through.

“You… really?” asks Madara. Which makes sense, Tobirama had just told him it would take a few days.

“I’ll find you one,” he says, instead of backtracking. After all, Hashirama has a large personal collection at home and he’s sure his brother wouldn’t mind if he took one. He can replace it later this week when the next shipment comes in. Kagami finally lifts his head up to look at him, and Tobirama asks, “Do you know what size you want it to be? I can’t confirm I’ll get the exact size, but I can get you something close.”

“Like this one,” he says, pointing at one of their purchases, maybe 5 inches tall.

“I can do that,” says Tobirama, relieved. He’s definitely seen that size.

“ _Thank you_ ,” says Madara a bit more intensely than Tobirama thinks is actually warranted in this case, and then he lets his nephew slide down. “You’re going to have to help carry things out to the car,” he says, and Kagami nods seriously.

Madara pays and leaves his address, and Tobirama watches them leave, the soft tinkle of the doorbell ringing for s few moments after they leave.

Yamato and Kawarama should turn up for their shift at twelve, Tobirama would make the delivery after that.

Tobirama should have remembered that every person in his life is an insufferable busy body, because before the week is out, he _greatly_ regrets the random moment of generosity that led him to help Uchiha Madara and his nephew out. He’d told his brother that he was appropriating one of his succulents, and Hashirama had been fine with that. But then he’d also told Mito, who’d found it odd and mentioned it to Touka, and it spread from there and he’d been listening to sly comments _all week._

“So, everyone’s curious: was he _pretty_?” asks Itama the moment Tobirama picks up his phone, and Tobirama resists the urge to just hang up on Itama.

“I see you’re free enough to join in the absurdity. Assignments just not hard enough for you?” he snaps.

“Wow you’re touchy,” says Itama with a faint note of surprise. Which, fair. This was the first time Itama had mentioned it, so it wasn’t frustration at _him_ that Tobirama was reacting to.

“I’m sorry,” says Tobirama. “They’ve been at it all week, I’m tired of it.”

“Sorry to add to it, then,” says Itama. “I just… Never mind. So how has work been?”

“Never mind what?” he asks, instead of accepting the change in conversation.

“It’s just not the sort of thing you do. You’ve yelled at Hashirama for much less,” says Itama quietly.

Right, the whole: _They’re your customers, not friends, brother, don’t be ridiculous,_ speech that he’d perfected when helping Hashirama find his feet with his new business and his brother treated every single one of them like a friend.

Tobirama’s not sure how to explain… Madara had looked _pained,_ over the lack of a simple plant that they usually sold by the dozens. He’d wanted to help. “Well, I’ve learned my lesson,” he says lightly. “And my week has been well, I’ve completed the renderings for that old age home I was working on, and aside from my two current projects I’ve started discussions with a potential client with a potential client who wants to surround his mc-mansion with tropical trees and put in a hedge maze with a heated pool in the middle,” he says, making Itama giggle. He’ll probably turn the last project down, the client had very bizarre tastes, Tobirama would hate to be associated with the final product. “How was your week?” he asks.

“Well, we’re considering arranging a game of Humans vs Zombies that goes on until Halloween or the last human dies…”

Tobirama settles in to listen to Itama, wishing once again that his younger brother had decided to go to a closer school for his undergrad. He misses having his most sensible sibling around.

His family tires of the subject soon, which is good because Tobirama doesn’t see Madara again for more than a month.

“Good afternoon,” says a familiar voice, speaking over the tinkling of the chimes over the door.

“Hello again,” says Tobirama, giving Madara a small smile. “How can I help you today?”

“I hear that that’s not what you’re supposed to say,” Madara says, grinning, and Tobirama rolls his eyes.

“You’re not nearly cute enough to pull that off,” Tobirama tells him, then blinks as he realizes what he just said. “What can I help you with?” he asks quickly, hoping Madara would let it slide.

Madara pauses, then says “I need a selection of seeds, and some starting trays.”

“It’s far too early, you should start in January or February depending on the species,” he says, but sets his tablet down and comes around the counter anyway.

“That’s not what I need them for, it’s for a science fair project.”

“I see,” says Tobirama, gesturing Madara to follow.

“Are you the kind of person who’ll be upset if I confess that most of these plants are probably going to die in the name of science?” asks Madara as he references a list and grabs the corresponding seed packets.

Tobirama laughs. “No, I’m not. And a science project is a worthy enough cause.”

“I’m not the one working at a place that gives plants up for adoption,” says Madara smiling. He holds up three varieties of cucumber seeds. “Which of these would you suggest?”

“Usually people ask which are the best for pickles,” says Tobirama, considering the three packets. “It really depends on what you need them for? The Dasher and General Lee are really sturdy species, so if you want something a little more sensitive, go with the Wisconsin SMR58? But if you would like them to last, either of the first two would be fine.”

Madara considers and then takes one each of General Lee and the Wisconsin SMR58. He’s amassed quite a selection, and Tobirama can’t help but be curious.

“What is the science fair project on?” he asks.

“They’re looking at how the wavelength of light corresponds to plant growth,” says Madara.

“That seems pretty advanced for a first grader,” says Tobirama. Not that it’s any of his business, and Kagami had seemed like an intelligent child, but that’s not a project for someone that young.

“Oh no, it’s not for Kagami. This is for my ten-year-old, Shisui. He wanted to come with me but he has so many after school practices, and Mondays are my only reliable days off, so I made him give me a list of the things that he needs.” He meets Tobirama’s eyes, and he nods in understanding. “I just need two 1020 trays, and then I’m done.”

“Over there,” says Tobirama, and then leads the way back to the register.

“Oh, you’re hiring?” asks Madara, stopping halfway with his card out. Tobirama glances at the sign behind him on the bulletin board, which says they’re looking for new full or part-time workers.

“We’re always hiring. My brother likes to hire from the local high-school but the kids are always graduating and leaving, or getting detention or they have tests coming up and beg off, so we’re always short on staff.”

“So you take the school-time shifts? Oh, sorry - ” he says, and finally hands over his card.

“I take a lot of the morning shifts. It doesn’t make much difference to me if I work here manning the register or from my office at home,” he says, gesturing at his tablet. “When I’m busy, Hashirama or Yamato will take them.” He finishes up and passes the card back, and slips Madara’s seed packets into a paper bag and hands it over.

“Do you know someone who’d like a job?” he asks. I could put in a good word for them to my brother.

“I’m not sure, I’ll check with him first,” says Madara.

“Well, you know where we are, but this is my brother’s number if you want to pass it on,” says Tobirama, handing over a card that he keeps behind the counter.

“Could you give me your number too? I might have some questions,” says Madara, and Tobirama scrawls his own number on the back of the card.

“Thank you,” says Madara. “I’ll text you if he’s interested. Have a nice day, Tobirama!”

“You too,” says Tobirama, and after giving him another smile, Madara leaves.

Tobirama sits back down in his chair, but doesn’t go back to work for several minutes, trying to decide if that had been an excuse to get his number, or if Madara really did only want to pass on a potential employment opportunity to someone that he knows.

If he’s being honest with himself, he kind of hopes that it’s both.

He gets the first text about a week later:

<XXXXX-XXXXX>

_senju tobirama? hi, this is uchiha madara. I’ve spoken to my nephew’s therapist and she thinks getting a part time job now is a good idea. I just wanted to ask you a few things before I ask my nephew if he’d be interested._

<You>

_Hello, sure. What would you like to know? (I’m assuming this is a different nephew)_

<Uchiha Madara>

_oh yes, I have three. Obito was in an accident a few months ago, he’s only recently gotten out of hospital. we’ve decided to home-school him this year, but there’s only so much time that a teenager can stand being home alone, and he’s always liked plants… I was hoping if he had something to do that made him feel useful he would cheer up a little?_

<You>

_That sounds like a great idea. What specifics do you need to know? I can ask Hashirama for you._

It takes longer than Tobirama expects, so he nudges him a little with an extra text.

<You>

_Madara?_

<Uchiha Madara>

_the accident. it left Obito with very visible, significant scars. some people find it disgusting, and I know you’re running a business, and if you’d rather that your customers not have to deal with that, then it’s fine. but I’d rather know now than have him be rejected for that alone when he turns up to meet your brother. that’s the most important thing. besides that, his shifts may need to a bit flexible, he has a lot of physiotherapy appointments to get through for a while._

<You>

_It won’t matter. And all our employees get flexible shifts._

<Uchiha Madara>

_You should probably ask your brother?_

<You>

_Trust me, it won’t matter._

There’s a long gap again before Madara replies. When he does, it’s quite short:

<Uchiha Madara>

_Thank you._

It feels wrong, to be thanked for basic human courtesy, so Tobirama doesn’t answer. Instead, he goes to find Hashirama.

Obito turns up for an interview the following week, and Tobirama hangs around even though both Yamato and Hashirama are on shift and he doesn’t have to be there. He’s glad for it, because his brother comes out from the office with a hand on Obito’s shoulder, looking extremely cheerful. “You just said he was good with plants, not that he grows vegetables for several families and makes his own organic fertilizer!”

“I take it he’s hired, then?” asks Tobirama.

“Oh yes! Of course!” says Hashirama.

Tobirama glances at Obito again, the right side of his face is badly disfigured but he can see a faint blush on his left cheek. “Welcome,” says Tobirama. “I hope you’ll like working here.

“Me too!” says the boy, and though it’s a little quiet, Tobirama has the feeling that this boy is actually a lot like Hashirama and Kawarama (loud, passionate and enthusiastic). He’ll settle in soon enough.

After Obito leaves, Hashirama leans over the counter and continues talking about the things that Obito apparently does in his home garden. Tobirama feels no shame at all in ignoring his brother’s enthusiastic gushing to text Madara.

<You>

_Hashirama **adores** him. He hasn’t shut up about vermicomposting and coffee-grounds fertilizer and youths who believe in the sanctity of the environment since your nephew left._

The reply is almost instant this time.

<Uchiha Madara>

_thank you, Tobirama._

<You>

_I didn’t do anything. He’s a lovely young man, and my brother may be idiotic at times but he would never send away someone who loves gardening as much as he does._

<Uchiha Madara>

_just accept the thanks, Senju_

<You>

_Accepted, then._

Having Obito at the store quickly becomes routine. Obito talks a lot more than Yamato did when Tobirama was paired up with him for shifts, but he doesn’t mind if Tobirama listens while he sketches and is suitably impressed by some of Tobirama’s designs, so he doesn’t have any complaints about the young Uchiha.

(Obito also comes with a lot more stories about Madara. There are also stories about his younger brothers Shisui and Kagami, and his best friends Kakashi and Rin, but after filtering them out Tobirama has learned quite a lot about the young uncle who had taken the three of them in when their parents died, and who was of all things an Elementary School art teacher and a Martial Arts instructor, which was why he had such strange work hours.)

If Tobirama always made sure that he was working on Mondays, the day when Madara took advantage of his day off to either drop Obito off or pick him up, solely because Madara usually comes inside to talk for a few minutes, well. No one had seemed to catch on quite yet.

And then Itama comes home for the winter holidays, and while Tobirama is very happy to have him back, his little brother watches with his too sharp, all-seeing gaze when he says goodbye to Obito and Madara when they leave after one of Obito’s shifts. Once they’re gone, Itama raises a single eyebrow at him.

Tobirama gives him a level look, trying to project how much he _does not_ want to be interrogated on the subject.

“Does that mean you’re _not_ going to ask him out?” Itama asks.

“We’re just friends.”

“Yes,” says Itama slowly. “Because you haven’t asked him out yet.”

“I’m not going to,” says Tobirama firmly. He definitely liked Madara, he’d though the man was pretty gorgeous the very first time he’d seen him, but he’s decided to suppress that. Because reducing Madara to just a hot guy is almost offensive – he’s so much more than that. Kind, and generous, and he watches over his family with the sort of single-minded focus that Tobirama respects deeply.

In just three months, a few exchanged texts had grown into longer conversations and sometimes phone calls. He’d been invited along to see Shisui’s exhibit at the Science Fair, and invited along on one of Madara’s extremely rare Saturdays off to a Botanical garden for Obito’s birthday. Tobirama had had a pretty faithful shadow that day in Shisui who in spite of being Obito’s younger brother had still listened with great attention when Tobirama tossed out plant and insect facts, and then criticized the design of some of the walkways and arbors.

Tobirama _likes_ them. All of them. He isn’t going to ruin what he has.

“I only told Touka and Mito to leave you alone until Christmas,” says Itama.

“You what.” says Tobirama flatly.

His brother shrugs. “They were really bothering you, remember? So I told them to lay off while you get your head together. But I didn’t think it would take you _this_ long to make a move.”

“I am not going to make a move,” says Tobirama.

“ _Why?_ You really seem to like him! Do you even know how much you talk about him or his kids?”

“Please just drop it,” says Tobirama.

Itama stares at him a moment longer then exhales loudly. “Fine. There’s still a week. I’m not saving you from Mito and Toka again.”

“I can deal with them, you didn’t have to protect me the first time,” says Tobirama. 

“Really? Their pointed questioning wouldn’t have embarrassed you enough to push the Uchiha away to save yourself the trouble?”

His brother has a point. While both women would absolutely throw down in his defence if anyone else was bothering him, the knowing looks and the witty comments would have made him much more self-conscious when actually speaking to Madara. He might not have even tried to work toward a friendship. And that would have been sad. He makes a note to get Itama something nice before he has to leave.

A few days later, he has a new customer, but he looks so much like Madara and Shisui that Tobirama knows he has to be the oft mentioned younger uncle who’s usually away at university. “Hello, is there something that I can help you with?”

“Uchiha Izuna, nice to meet you,” he says, “I just wanted to see the place that my nephew has been working at, and maybe pick up a few poinsettia plants?”

“You don’t want Poinsettia, Obito doesn’t really like them,” says Tobirama before he realizes that’s not quite polite. “Um, I mean. If you wanted to get them for him?” Strangely, Izuna doesn’t look offended.

“No, you’re right. Obito doesn’t like them, he says so every year.”

“So these are for someone else?” asks Tobirama. He gestures toward the stand with an array of potted poinsettia plants. “You can choose what you like, it’s a bit late in the season so these are all that we have left.”

“What should I get my nephew instead? I missed his birthday this year, so I was hoping to get him something special for Christmas.”

“Well, he said he needs new gardening gloves, but that’s not really an apology present, is it? He wanted that new video game – Outer Wilds. He wanted to have an excuse to invite his friends over more often since he doesn’t see them at school anymore.”

Izuna nods thoughtfully. “The other two?”

“Madara is getting Shisui a microscope. Maybe a set of prepared slides to match? Or a telescope. He likes insects but I don’t think he’d really want a preservation kit, he’s not the type. I don’t think you could go wrong with getting him a book, either.”

“Hm. And Kagami?”

“Definitely a book,” he says. In fact, there’s a book on aquatic sea creatures that Tobirama has already bought for him; he’s seen the way Kagami always runs to see the aquariums for a few minutes whenever he visits the store. “Do you want me to suggest some titles?” he asks, when Izuna just continues to stare at him strangely.

He seems to be hiding amusement. Tobirama does not understand why he’s amused.

“That will do,” he says. “Those are excellent suggestions. Thank you for the help,” he says. ”I guess I’ll see you around sometime, I’m staying until after the new year.”

“So, you don’t actually need to buy anything?” Tobirama asks just to confirm.

“Not right now, sorry. Poinsettias were a silly idea.”

“Oh, Izuna! Back again?” asks Yamato, coming back from where he had been arranging a shipment of gardening tools.

“Ah, yes! Still can’t decide what I want to get though. I’ll be leaving now. Bye! Bye, Tobirama!” says Izuna, and makes a speedy exit.

“Well that was interesting,” says Tobirama, though he can’t quite keep himself from smiling. “How many times has he come over?”

“Three times,” says Yamato. “He seemed desperate not to ask when you’d be around in case one of us told Obito that his uncle was being weird. Did Hashirama tell you when the seed-starter order will get here? We’re really running low.

“I’ll check,” Tobirama assures him.

That night, after dinner, Tobirama is in his room finishing up a layout for a client, when he gets a text from Madara.

<Madara Uchiha>

_did my brother come to see you today??_

<You>

_Yes, he did. He was looking for a gift for Obito, but didn’t buy anything in the end. I told him to buy him a video game instead and sent him away. Not the best business decision, but your brother said it was partly an apology so I had to help._

<Madara Uchiha>

_Did he say anything?_

<You>

_He asked me what he should get Shisui and Kagami as well._

<Madara Uchiha>

_And nothing else?_

<You>

_No, he didn’t say anything else._

Tobirama stares at the message for a few moments after that. Tobirama has had a lot of experience with how younger brothers teased, which meant Izuna had been teasing Madara about… potentially revealing something embarrassing to Tobirama? That made it sound like… like Madara _did_ care about him? No one really cased out their nephew’s workplace by just quizzing the person at the register, and Yamato had let him know that Izuna had come to the store a couple of times, clearly looking for Tobirama even if he didn’t admit it, so it had to be… Tobirama holds closely to the fluttering hope that this gave him, and types out:

_~~Madara, when you’re free, would you join me for coffee?~~ _

_~~I’d like to talk, can we meet up?~~ _

_~~Madara, don’t be offended but I’d like to ask if we could~~ _

He deletes every message instead if sending it. What if Madara assumes that he’s only asking him out because Izuna said something, and not because Tobirama really wanted to ask? He should probably wait a little, right?

He gets a call from Madara a few minutes later.

“Hello,” says Tobirama, picking up.

“What did he do? He looked suspicious and embarrassed when he got home.”

“Yamato spilled that he came to the store multiple times trying to catch me on shift, and he fled,” says Tobirama.

“That… sounds like my brother. I’m sorry, that was really rude –” he sounds exasperated.

“No no, it’s fine. He was really kind of cute!” says Tobirama.

“He. He was?” asks Madara.

“Yeah. He was definitely flustered, all but bolted once Yamato saw him. Don’t worry about it, I’m not angry with him. It was quite nice meeting him, really.” Tobirama tries to force some reassurance into his voice, because Madara sounds a little…stiff.

“That’s good. That’s really… good. I’ll talk to you later? I just wanted to make sure he hadn’t offended.”

“It’s all fine. Bye, Madara.”

“Bye.”

There was something wrong with that conversation, Tobirama just knew it. He’d expected Madara to laugh about his brother’s ill-conceived but well-meaning plot to make sure Tobirama was a decent person. But Madara hadn’t laughed.

_Why not?_

When he finally realizes what he had just implied during that short conversation, he wants to slap himself in the face. _Stupid. So so stupid._ Leaving his room, he heads straight for his brother’s, glad that Itama’s staying with him now that Hashirama’s house needed a nursery. He knocks on the door.

“Come in,” says Itama.

“ _Itama_ ,” he says, but isn’t sure how to explain.

“What happened?” asks his brother.

“Madara called me.”

“And? What did he say?” Itama actually looks… strangely angry?

“What?” asks Tobirama.

“If you asked him out and he turned you down then he’s an _idiot_ who doesn’t deserve you,” says Itama. “But I really thought – ”

“ _No,_ listen. _”_ Why is everyone jumping to conclusions today? “Madara called me, because Izuna came to see me at the store today. It seemed like he was checking to see if I was a creep? So I thought maybe Madara _was_ interested?” Itama nods encouragingly.

“And when he called I… I _sort of told him that Izuna is really cute and I was glad I’d run into him_.”

Itama looks pained. “Tobirama-nii, _why_.”

“That’s not what I meant! I didn’t even realize until after, when I was trying to figure out why he sounded so depressed. I _was_ glad to meet him, but not because I like _him_ , it’s because.” _it gave me a tangible proof that Madara might like me back._

“So what are you going to do?” asks Itama.

“I’ll speak to him tomorrow,” says Tobirama. “I’ll ask him out properly.”

Itama is looking down at his desk, and he taps his finger a few times like he’s thinking something through. “No,” he says finally.

“No?”

“You should go now.”

“It’s _late_ ,” says Tobirama. “He has kids so he sleeps early! And we’re adults, not teenagers from a Hallmark channel romance movie, we can wait until the morning.”

“Don’t be stupid, Tobi-nii,” says Itama. “He _really_ likes you. He’s probably hurt.”

Right. Madara had sounded a little hurt.

Tobirama hates that he’d done that, even unintentionally.

Right then, he’s apparently doing this.

(He grabs his potted lavender plant on the way out, and Itama says, “You absolute _dork.”_ Tobirama ignores him.)

He’s even more nervous this time than he was the first time that he’d been standing on this doorstep. Steeling himself, he knocks on Madara’s door. That time he had been hand-delivering a succulent he’d appropriated (with permission) from his brother’s private collection to a complete stranger, and it had still been easier. He knocks again, he doesn’t want to ring the doorbell, because he _knows_ Kagami should be asleep already.

This time it’s not Madara who opens the door, but Izuna.

“What do you want, it’s late,” says Izuna, keeping his voice down.

“I need to talk to your brother! I _don’t_ think you’re cute!” says Tobirama. Ah, that wasn’t quite what he meant to say. “I mean-”

“Oh, thank god,” says Izuna instead of getting offended. “Come inside. He’s in the living room.”

Izuna lets him walk in ahead, to close up behind him, and Tobirama enters the room to see Madara on the couch, Obito curled up with a book in the armchair beside him.

Madara looks at him, eyes wide, then glances at the herb in his hands. “Hi, Madara, Obito” says Tobirama. And then Obito bursts out laughing.

It stings.

Maybe he shouldn’t have come here, with literally an offering of love, maybe Madara might not know what Lavender stands for but Obito, who cons every teenager who steps into their store to buy a pot of the herb definitely knows what’s up. (“ _Roses? Bouquets? They all die. Lavender is the true symbol of everlasting love and devotion,_ ” he says to each one of them, eyes shining and they fall for it hook-line-and-sinker).

Tobirama involuntarily steps back, eyes on the ground so he doesn’t have to see their faces and tries to come up with something to say. He should confess anyway, even if Madara doesn’t reciprocate, but he’d rather not do it on front of Obito.

“No, no, no! I’m sorry! I’ll leave, you guys should talk!” says Obito, and suddenly the teenager is right next to him, gripping Tobirama’s arm with his scarred right hand. “I wasn’t laughing at you, I am _so sorry_. But I’ll go now. I’ll see you tomorrow, Tobirama-nii.” And then he’s running away, Tobirama can hear him thunder up the stairs.

Tobirama glances at Madara who’s also standing up now.

“You brought me lavender?” he says.

“I did. On the phone, you misunderstood. It’s not Izuna that I like. I wanted to call you back, but maybe this is better done in person, so I thought- So I came,” he says. The small but unbearably radiant smile that unfurls on Madara’s face clears away the lingering doubt.

“Thank you,” says Madara, taking the pot from him carefully and setting it on the small table, and then takes both of Tobirama’s hands in his. “Tobirama, I love you too, and I would _very much_ like if we could go out officially,” says Madara.

“Yes, we should,” says Tobirama. “I’d really like that.” He hadn’t really called it _love_ yet but Madara’s not wrong. Even though they’ve known each other for so little time there’s something about the other man that makes Tobirama think there could never be anyone else who had the potential to fit into his life the way Madara does. The way Madara’s family does. “I really like your nephews. I haven’t decided about your brother,” he says.

“I’m hurt,” says Izuna from behind, and Madara glares over Tobirama’s shoulder.

“Go away!”

“Fine! But this is so unfair, I was cute not two hours ago, and now I’m not even tolerable,” he complains, and they wait while Izuna makes his way up the stairs so they have some privacy.

“My nephews like you too,” says Madara. “As does my brother, he was quite complimentary earlier.”

“Is Obito okay with it? He seemed…” _odd._ Tobirama cuts himself instead of voicing the tactless word that comes to mind.

Strangely, it makes Madara chuckle. “He was laughing about the lavender, not at you,” says Madara.

“I don’t understand,” Tobirama says, and Madara takes his hand and leads him towards the downstairs office that the kids used for homework. All along the large window, in different sizes, are lavender plants. Seven of them.

“I’ve been trying to confess for a while,” says Madara, squeezing Tobirama’s hand.

“I’ll take them back with me,” says Tobirama, and Madara carefully brings up one hand to Tobirama’s cheek. Tobirama’s never been this _close_ to Madara before. He’s just as beautiful close up.

“You don’t have to take them home. I can keep them for you. You could move in,” says Madara. He looks so very very hopeful.

Tobirama can’t resist, doesn’t _have_ to resist, he leans closer for a kiss and Madara meets him halfway, and it’s soft and gentle and _perfect._ When they finally pull away, Tobirama looks at Madara’s radiant face and decides he needs another one. He catches Madara’s lips again.

“I’m not moving in with you now,” Tobirama says, when he’s caught his breath after two kisses. He can feel his cheeks stretch with an uncontainable smile; the offer alone is enough to make him feel giddy with joy, but he can’t accept it yet.

“Too soon?” asks Madara. He doesn’t sound upset.

“It’s too soon,” he agrees.

“I can wait,” says Madara.

“Mm. And you haven’t met _my_ family properly yet,” says Tobirama.

Madara tilts his head a little to the side. “I know Hashirama and Kawarama. I don’t think they dislike me? And I met Itama this week. He seemed nice.”

Itama? Nice? There’s only one person who can get both Mito _and_ Touka to do what he wants, and that’s his little brother. Itama is not _nice_ , that’s just what he prefers to let people think about him. How on earth is he supposed to break this to Madara?

“Itama does seem to like you,” he starts. This would be Madara’s saving grace. “But Mito and Touka haven’t met you yet. They, and Kawarama, have sworn to leave you alone until the 25th. After that…” he trails off. “I think Hashirama really does like you, though,” he says, hoping it’s consolation.

“Leave me alone?”

“They didn’t want to scare you off too soon,” says Tobirama. Madara presses a kiss to Tobirama’s nose, then his cheek, then tilts his head up by the chin for another kiss.

“No one’s scaring me away from you,” he says firmly.

“I _will_ hold you to that,” says Tobirama. He really will, too.

“Please do,” says Madara.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it!


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